Wood County, Ohio: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Bowling Green, Perrysburg and Perrysburg Township
Wood County sits inside the data center build-out. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 3 data centers in Wood County. Wood County is home to Bowling Green, Perrysburg, Perrysburg Township and Lake Township. The Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure here (1 in force); the latest is “Wood County (Bowling Green area) data center moratorium”. 50 MW of new generation is planned here across 1 unit, led by Lightsource Renewable Energy Asset Management, LLC (solar). 50 MW of it is already under construction or built. Electrical contractors employ 516, up 26.5% since 2019 against up 37.0% statewide, at an average $103,669 a year.
Cities and towns in Wood County
Wood County is home to Bowling Green, Perrysburg, Perrysburg Township and Lake Township.
And 16 smaller places.
- Fostoria also extends into Seneca County, Hancock County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Rudolph, Stony Ridge.
Residents are 2025 Census estimates for the part of each city, town or township inside this county. Census publishes no annual estimate for unincorporated communities.
What changed in Wood County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Ohio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 132,246 | 134,176 | ▲ 1.5% | 22nd of 88 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 67,860 | 74,868 | ▲ 10.3% | 8th of 88 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $46,751 | $58,550 | ▲ 25.2% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,398 | 4,748 | ▲ 8.0% | 31st of 51 by growth |
| Electrical contractor jobs (2019 → 2025) | 408 | 516 | ▲ 26.5% | — |
| Data processing and hosting jobs (2019 → 2025) | 7 | 21 | ▲ 200.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.7% | 3.4% | ▼ 0.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 18 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 7 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 50 MW | 5% of today's fleet | 18th of 22 by size |
Construction employs 4,748, up 8.0% since 2019. Employers here counted 74,868 jobs in 2025, up 10.3% from 2019 (the 8th fastest growth of 88 Ohio counties). 7 MW has retired here since 2019, including Bowling Green Wind (wind, 7 MW, 2025). Its power plants have 915 MW of capacity, 96% of it natural gas. 18 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly battery storage. Ohio Power Co is the largest utility serving Wood County, one of 14 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 19.33¢/kWh in 2024, above the 15.40¢ median for Ohio utilities. Unemployment was 3.4% in August 2026, against 3.7% in 2019. 134,176 people live here, up 1.5% since 2020.
Who powers Wood County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +10 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Wood County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,339,232 | 19.33¢ | 22% |
| The Toledo Edison Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 278,814 | 16.64¢ | 16% |
| City of Bowling Green - (OH) | Municipal | Bundled | 13,068 | 15.36¢ | 12% |
| Hancock-Wood Electric Coop Inc | Cooperative | Bundled | 11,307 | 17.05¢ | 29% |
| North Central Elec Coop, Inc - (OH) | Cooperative | Bundled | 8,433 | 17.09¢ | 14% |
| Village of Bloomdale - (OH) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Village of Bradner - (OH) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Village of Cygnet - (OH) | — | — | — | — | — |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
Operating power plants 8
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 877 MW | 96% |
| Solar | 26 MW | 3% |
| Battery storage | 12 MW | 1% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troy Energy LLC | Troy Energy LLC | Natural gas | 796 MW | 2002 |
| Bowling Green Generating Station | American Mun Power-Ohio, Inc | Natural gas | 50 MW | 2000 |
| Bowling Green Peaking | American Mun Power-Ohio, Inc | Natural gas | 32 MW | 2000 |
| DG AMP Solar Bowling Green | DG AMP Solar, LLC | Solar | 20 MW | 2017 |
| Bowling Green Energy Storage Project | VESI 21 LLC | Battery storage | 12 MW | 2023 |
| IGS PCW1 | Altus Power America Management, LLC | Solar | 3 MW | 2023 |
Planned generation 1
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juliet Energy Project, LLC | Solar Photovoltaic | 50 MW | Built, not yet operating | 2026 | Lightsource Renewable Energy Asset Management, LLC |
Retired since 2019
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowling Green Wind | Wind | 7 MW | 2025 |
The Wood County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 74,868 | $58,550 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 4,748 | $98,214 | 1.20 |
| Electrical contractors | 516 | $103,669 | 0.96 |
| Electric utilities | 197 | $126,524 | 0.97 |
| Data processing and hosting | 21 | $127,799 | 0.09 |
Concentration is the BLS location quotient: 1.0 means the industry holds the same share of local jobs as it does nationally. Industry rows count private employers; cells BLS suppresses are left out.
Data centers and local rules in Wood County
3 data centers in Wood County are on the SAVRN Data Center Map.
Local measures 1
| Measure | Status | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood County (Bowling Green area) data center moratorium | In force | 2026-01 |
Wood County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Wood County, Lucas County carries the most build-out activity: data centers, planned generation and operating plants combined.
| County | Population | Jobs since 2019 | Operating MW | Planned MW | Data centers | Local measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood County | 134,176 | ▲ 10.3% | 915 MW | 50 MW | 3 | 1 |
| Hancock County | 75,034 | ▼ 4.9% | 20 MW | 235 MW | — | — |
| Henry County | 27,598 | ▼ 1.0% | 69 MW | 206 MW | — | — |
| Lucas County | 423,347 | ▼ 7.0% | 1,286 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Ottawa County | 39,481 | ▲ 3.1% | 931 MW | — | — | — |
| Putnam County | 34,380 | ▲ 4.4% | 205 MW | — | 1 | — |
| Sandusky County | 58,655 | ▼ 4.4% | 760 MW | — | — | — |
| Seneca County | 54,522 | ▼ 4.5% | 4 MW | — | — | — |
More of Ohio
Wood County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Wood County, Ohio?
14 utilities have service territory in Wood County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Ohio Power Co, The Toledo Edison Co, City of Bowling Green - (OH), Hancock-Wood Electric Coop Inc. The largest, Ohio Power Co, charged residential customers 19.33¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Bowling Green, OH in?
Bowling Green is in Wood County, Ohio. About 31,182 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Perrysburg, OH in?
Perrysburg is in Wood County, Ohio. About 25,441 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What county is Perrysburg Township, OH in?
Perrysburg Township is in Wood County, Ohio. About 13,783 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Wood County?
8 operating plants with 915 MW of capacity. The largest is Troy Energy LLC (796 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Wood County?
50 MW across 1 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 50 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Lightsource Renewable Energy Asset Management, LLC.
Are there data centers in Wood County?
Yes. The SAVRN Data Center Map lists 3 data centers in Wood County.
Is Wood County adding jobs?
Employers counted 74,868 jobs in 2025 against 67,860 in 2019 (+10.3%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 4,398 to 4,748.
Does Wood County have a data center moratorium?
The SAVRN Moratorium Tracker holds 1 local measure for Wood County, 1 in force.